Electric connector member with yielding side walls



H. w. BATCHELLER 2,825,883

ELECTRIC CONNECTOR MEMBER WITH YIELDING SIDE WALLS March 4, 1958 FiledMarch 10, 1954 villi!! ELECTRIC CONNECTOR MEMBER 'WITH YIELDING SIDEWALLS Hugh W. Batcheller, Newton, Mass, assignor to Kent Mfg. CorpNewton, Mass, a corporation of Massachusetts Application March 1i), E54,Serial No. 415,358

1 Claim. v(Cl. 339-458) This invention relates to an electric connectorof the male-and-female type and more particularly to the female memberof an electric connector. A common variety of this type of connectorconsists of a female member made of a piece of sheet metal bent into theshape of a shallow channel with a bottom, side walls, and inturnedflanges on the side walls, and a male member comprising essentially aplane tongue adapted to fit into the channel of the other member and tobe pressed against the floor of the channel or the under sides of theflanges, or both, to promote a. good electrical contact between themembers.

According to the present invention, the female connector member is arelatively deep channel with side walls which converge upward and yieldoutward to substantial parallelism when the male connector member isthrust into the channel. The female member is preferably made by bendinga sheet metal blank to the form of a channel. The bending of the sidewalls of the channel up from the plane of the blank tends to harden themetal and to increase the resilience thereof along the lines of bend.When a male connector member is thrust into the channel, this malemember having a width nearly equal to the width of the channel fioorbetween the side walls, the upper parts of the wall are forced apartuntil they are nearly parallel to admit the male member between them.The resilience of the metal of the female member, particularly at thejunctions of the side walls with the floor, presses the side wallsagainst the sides of the male member and thus promotes a good electricalcontact between the members.

For a more complete understanding of the invention reference may be hadto the following description thereof and to the drawing, of which-Figure l is a plan view of the members of a connector embodying theinvention;

Figure 2 is a side elevation of the same;

Figure 3 is a section on the line 33 of Figure 2;

Figure 4 is a section similar to Figure 3, but with the membersassembled;

Figure 5 is a plan view of a modified form of the invention;

Figure 6 is a section on the line 66 of Figure 5;

Figure 7 is a side elevation of another modified form of the invention,the members being assembled;

Figure 8 is a section on the line 8-8 of Figure 7;

Figure 9 is a side elevation of a multiple male member assembled withfemale members;

Figure 10 is a section similar to Figure 3 but showing narrower members;

Figure 11 is a section similar to Figure 8 but showing narrower members;and

Figure 12 is a fragmentary side elevation of a modified form ofconnector.

The connector shown in Figures 1 to 4 of the drawing comprises a malemember and a female member 22. The male member consists chiefly of arectangular tongue 24 with a widened portion at its rear end formingshoulders 26 which limit the distance of insertion in the 2,825,883'iatented Mar. 4, 1958 other member. The female member consists chieflyof a deep channel having a floor 28 from the side edges of which risetwo side walls 39, the height of these walls being preferably greaterthan the width of the floor 28. The walls 349 incline slightly upwardtoward each other, as indicated in Figure 3. The forward ends of theconnector members are shaped so that when they are brought togetherthere is a mutual camming or wedging action which forces the walls 39outward to substantial parallelism as indicated in Figure 4. Thiswedging action may be had in a variety of ways. For example, the forwardedges 32 of the side walls 30 may be inclined upwardly and rearwardly,as in Figure 2, so that the leading end of the tongue '24 can enter atthe bottom where the channel is as wide as the tongue, and graduallywedge apart the upper parts of the side walls as it advances.Alternatively, the forward end of the tongue may be inclined asindicated at 33 in Figure 12 to enter between side walls 38' the forwardends of which may be vertical, as in Figure 12, or inclined, as inFigure 2. Instead of inclining the forward ends of the walls 30 or thetongue 24, or in addition thereto, the upright front edges of the tonguemay be rounded or chamfered as indicated, for example, at 44.

From the upper margin of one or both side walls 30 elements 34 projectinward, that is, toward the other wall to confine the male member ashereinafter described. Both members are provided with suitable meanssuch as flaps 36 and 38 by which the members can be firmly joined tostripped ends 49 of wires and to the adjacent insulation 42 on thewires. The height of the tongue 24 is slightly less than the verticaldistance from the floor 28 to the elements 34 so that when the membersare assembled the elements 34 confine the tongue 24 in the channel,preventing any separation of the members by upward movement of thetongue from the floor of the channel. Thus the members are held in lineand jack-knifing is prevented.

When the walls 30 are sprung apart by the entrance of the tongue 24 themetal at the junctions of the side walls and floor is slightly strained,and the resultant restoring force causes the side walls 34 to pressfirmly against the opposing faces of the tongue 24. Since the actualdistortion of the female member is slight and well within the elasticlimit, connections and disconnections can be made an indefinite numberof times without sensibly diminishing the pressure of the walls 30 onthe sides of the tongue 24 when the connector members are assembled.

The frictional engagement between the walls 30 and tongue 24 holds themembers together against a moderate separating force. A firmer union canbe had by interengaging recess and boss on the members. For example, aside wall 30 may be externally indented to form an interior boss 46 nearthe top of the wall so that it can yield outward, a recess 48 may beprovided in a side face of the tongue '24 to receive the boss 46 whenthe members are assembled. The tongue may have a recess 48 on each ofits side faces so that either can be presented to the boss 46.

instead of the elements 34 on the side walls 3b to prevent separatingmovement of the tongue 24 upward from the floor of the channel, the malemember may be provided with a portion adapted to engage under the floorwhen the members are assembled. Such a member is illustrated in Figures7 and 8 and comprises a tongue 50, which may be of the same size andshape as the tongue 24, and an element 52 which is separated from thetongue 50 by a slot 54 just wide enough to receive the floor 28. Theelement 52 may conveniently but not necessarily have the same size andshape as the tongue 50 so that it can also be used as a tongue to beinserted in the channel. If a male member of this description isemployed, the elements 34 on the side walls 3t) may be dispensed with.

The connector members need not be of any particular width. For examplean interfitting tongue 60 and channel 62 combination is shown in Figure10. These members may. be identical with those shown in Figure 4 exceptthat they are narrower. In like manner, the tongue 64 and channel 66,shown in Figure 11, may be like those shown in Figure 8, except forWidth.

The channel members hereinbefore described lend themselves convenientlyto multiple connections as illusrated in Figure 9. Where a number ofwires are to be connected to a common conductor, a multiple maleconnector member 70 may be provided, having a desired number of tongues72 projecting therefrom, each tongue being adapted for assembly with achannel 74 as herein- .before described.

I claim: In an electric connector consisting of a male and femalemember, a female member comprising a metal channel having a plane floorslightly wider than the male member and two resilient side walls ofgreater height than the width of the floor extending upward from theside edges of the floor and slightly converging upward, the front edgesof said side Walls sloping upward and rearward, and inturned elementsalong the tops of said side walls preventing separation of the membersby upward movement of the male member from the floor of the femalemember.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS2,288,918 Parker July 7, 1942 2,321,469 Draving June 8, 1943 2,353,628Alden July 18, 1944 2,543,415 Macy Feb. 27, 1951 2,578,436 Lundy Dec.11, 1951 2,579,739 Hayes Dec. 25, 1951 2,600,190 Batcheller June 10,1952

